Language and Gender

Question 1

Who is Robin Lakoff?

Answer 1

A language and gender theorist, who analysed how men and women appear to speak differently

Question 2

What is Lakoff’s book called?

Answer 2

Language and Women’s Place

Question 3

What are examples of hedges?

Answer 3

Sort of
Kind of
It seems like

Question 4

What are examples of empty adjectives?

Answer 4

Divine
Adorable
Gorgeous

Question 5

What are examples of super - polite forms?

Answer 5

Would you mind
Is it okay if
If it’s not too much trouble

Question 6

What are examples of italics?

Answer 6

So
Very
Quite

Question 7

What are examples of speaking less frequently?

Answer 7

Coined by Lakoff, meaning men speak a lot more than women

Question 8

What are examples of apologising more?

Answer 8

I’m sorry
Really sorry
Forgive me

Question 9

What are examples of avoiding cursing?

Answer 9

Coined by Lakoff, women avoid expletives and swearing

Question 10

What are examples of indirect requests?

Answer 10

It’s awfully cold in here
I’m so hungry
I’m really tired

Question 11

What are examples of tag questions?

Answer 11

Do you?
Isn’t it?
Are we?

Question 12

What are examples of hyper - correct grammar?

Answer 12

Prestige grammar

Clear articulation

Question 13

What are Lakoff’s coined terms?

Answer 13

Hedges
Empty adjectives
Super - polite forms
Italics
Speak less frequently 
Apologise more
Avoid cursing
Indirect requests 
Tag questions 
Hyper - correct grammar

Question 14

Who are O’barr and Atkins?

Answer 14

William O’barr and Bowman Atkins, are two language and gender theorists who challenged and disagreed with Lakoff, saying that langauge differences aren’t down to gender

Question 15

What did O’barr and Atkins carry out?

Answer 15

They decided to study courtroom cases for thirty months, examining the men and women in court for the ten differences which Lakoff coined. They stated that ‘differences aren’t down to being male or female, but being in a powerless situation’

Question 16

Who are Zimmerman and West?

Answer 16

Don Zimmerman and Candace West studied overlaps and interruptions between men and women

Question 17

What were Zimmerman and West’s findings?

Answer 17

They found that 96% of interruptions, within conversations, were made by men

Question 18

Who challenged Zimmerman and West?

Answer 18

Geoffrey Beattie

Question 19

What did Geoffrey Beattie argue to challenge Zimmerman and West?

Answer 19

Beattie argued that ‘interruptions may happen due to nervousness or excitement, not necessarily because men are stereotyped as being louder and ruder than women’.

Question 20

What did Pamela Fishman carry out?

Answer 20

Fishman conducted an experiment that involved listening to 52 hours of pre-recorded conversations between young, American, white, heterosexual couples.

Question 21

What were Pamela Fishmans findings?

Answer 21

She found that women do use more tag questions than men, simply to make sure that the male occupant is still engaged in conversation. Although, many people disagree with her theory, as she carried out an unfair and biased experiment.

Question 22

What did Julia Stanley say about women and men?

Answer 22

Stanley states that ‘there are 220 derogatory terms to describe women, whereas there are only 20 to describe men’.

Stanley goes on to say that most derogatory terms for men, have derogatory women’s terms within them.

Question 23

Give three examples of men’s derogatory terms, which have elements of women’s derogatory terms in them…

Answer 23

Manwhore - whore

Manslag - slag

Manslut - slut